Politics

Feminists ‘devastated’ Philip Davies re-elected to Shipley seat

Conservative Philip Davies was re-elected to his Shipley seat after a brief spell of delight for women’s rights campaigners amid early reports he had lost out.

Mr Davies won the West Yorkshire seat with more than 4,500-votes more that his Labour rival Steve Clapcote. He won the seat in 2015 with a majority of nearly 10,000 votes.

The leader of the Women’s Equality Party, Sophie Walker, had launched an election campaign to oust the notorious anti-feminist.

Ms Walker aimed to unseat Mr Davies following his repeated attempts to derail legislation aimed at protecting women and girls from male violence and his comments that “feminist zealots” exaggerate gender inequalities in the UK.

Women’s Equality Party loses out

“Philip Davies’ track record of misogyny should have no place in Parliament. It is a national embarrassment that he sits on the Women and Equalities Committee,” Ms Walker said in a statement as she launched her election bid.

“Shipley deserves an MP that will represent the needs and interests of all its constituents, instead of one who spends constituency time on a self-indulgent anti-women campaign,” she added.

Leader of the Women’s Equality Party Sophie Walker at the launch of their Election manifesto. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Ms Walker won just 1.9 per cent of the vote with 1,040 ballots cast for her. Labour’s Mr Clapcote finished with 22,736 votes (42.6% compared to Mr Davies’ 51.3%).

Labour’s share of the vote in Shipley was up 11.6 per cent on 2015, while the Tories’ rose only slightly by 1.4 per cent.

The Liberal Democrat candidate Caroline Jones took 2,202 votes, a share of 4.1 per cent.

‘Pantomime villain’

Mr Davies, a self-proclaimed “meninist”, has made a name for himself attempting filibuster a string of bills aimed at protecting women.

He hit headlines in 2016 when he spoke for over 90 minutes in an attempt to block a”life-saving” bill aimed at eradicating violence against women, and was branded a “pantomime villain“.

The former MP was unsuccessful in this instance but he did manage to block a bill that would have exempted carers from paying hospital parking charges.

Rumours began to swirl that Mr Davies had lost his Shipley seat hours before the result was announced.

Among those celebrating his apparent defeat was the Labour MP for Tottenham, who kept his seat.

Apparently Philip Davies is in trouble in Shipley? Couldn't happen to a nicer bloke! Women and (everyone who isn't a sexist bigot) rejoice

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